Pincher Creek | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Town of Pincher Creek | |
 Pincher Creek as seen from the North, with theCanadian Rockies in the background | |
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  Pincher Creek Location of Pincher Creek inAlberta | |
| Coordinates:49°29′10″N113°57′00″W / 49.48611°N 113.95000°W /49.48611; -113.95000 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Southern Alberta |
| Census division | 3 |
| Municipal district | Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9 |
| Incorporated[1] | |
| • Village | August 18, 1898 |
| • Town | May 12, 1906 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Don Anderberg |
| • Governing body | Pincher Creek Town Council |
| Area (2021)[3] | |
| • Land | 9.87 km2 (3.81 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,130 m (3,710 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 3,622 |
| • Density | 367.1/km2 (951/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Postal code | |
| Area code | 403 /587 |
| Highways |  Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway) Highway 6 Highway 507 |
| Waterways | Oldman River Reservoir |
| Website | www |
Pincher Creek is atown insouthern Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately east of theCanadian Rockies, 101 km (63 mi) west ofLethbridge and 210 km (130 mi) south ofCalgary.
For centuries before European settlers reached this area and inhabited it, Indigenous clans of theBlackfoot,Peigan andKootenai passed through, lived in or frequented the region.
The town received its name in 1868 when a group of prospectors lost apincer in the small creek at this location. These pincers would have been used as a device for trimming the feet of thehorses and thus had some value to the group. In 1874, theNorth-West Mounted Police came tosouthern Alberta. One of them discovered the rusting tools in the creek, and they named the area Pincher Creek.[citation needed]
Pincher Creek was officially listed as a place name in the Geological Survey Report, 1880.[6]
In 1876, theNWMP established a horse farm in the area. It closed in 1881, but many of the troops stayed to help the town. James Schofield opened Pincher Creek's first store in 1884. By 1885 Pincher Creek had a store known as Schofield & Hyde General Store. Harry Hyde succeeded Schofield as Pincher Creek's first postmaster.
In 1898, Pincher Creek was incorporated a village. In 1906, the community was officially incorporated as a town and namedPincher Creek. Many residents are descendants of the pioneer families who settled there over 100 years ago.
StrongChinook winds often blow off the mountains and Pincher Creek can be extremely windy. TheOldman River and Castle River valleys seem to act as a kind of funnel for air masses, arguably making the area around Pincher Creek the windiest in Alberta. Any typical day may see wind speeds of 50–90 km/h, the most violent recorded wind being 177 km/h. The strong winds have given rise to a significant amount ofwind farm development in the area, with the towers and blades ofwind turbines being a characteristic of the scenery. Another consequence of the breezy conditions is that the weather is mostly sunny and very dry as the wind tends to dissipate cloud cover.
The town was severely affected by a flood that hit the area in 1995 as the peak stream flowdischarge of the creek that gave the town its name was 271 cubic meters per second.
On January 10, 1962, a dramatic weather change happened in the area. The temperature in the area rose by 41 °C (74 °F) from -19 °C to 22 °C (-2 °F to 72 °F) in only a few hours.
The Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village is a popular tourist stop open year-round. It was named afterKootenai Brown, who was responsible for the preservation of the landWaterton Park now inhabits. The six-acre site is home to over thirty one historical buildings, all on open exhibit. Each July, the Village has a large Canada Day celebration, as well as hosting other community based events through the year. Among over 18,000 artifacts, historical archives are also located on site and accessible to the public.[7]
Pincher Creek is located 57 km (35 mi) north ofWaterton Lakes National Park, whileBeauvais Lake Provincial Park is a 20 km (12 mi) drive to the southwest.Castle Mountain Ski Resort is located 49 km (30 mi) to the southwest.Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site is 47 km (29 mi) to the northeast.
The town is served by thePincher Creek Airport which is ageneral aviation airfield that does not currently have any scheduled passenger airline flights.
Pincher Creek is served by two newspapers, theSun Media ownedPincher Creek Echo,[8] which publishes on Wednesdays and has been in operation since 1900[9] and the locally owned Shootin' the Breeze which has been serving the community since 2011. It is also served by an online news website, the Pincher Creek Voice, established in 2011.
Pincher Creek is served byMountain Radio, acountry music station based in nearbyBlairmore. Mountain Radio's Pincher Creektransmitter can be heard on 92.7 FM.[10]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1916 (est.) | 1,050 | — |
| 1921 (est.) | 1,200 | +14.3% |
| 1926 (est.) | 1,100 | −8.3% |
| 1931 (est.) | 1,000 | −9.1% |
| 1936 | 999 | −0.1% |
| 1941 | 985 | −1.4% |
| 1946 | 1,139 | +15.6% |
| 1951 | 1,456 | +27.8% |
| 1956 | 1,729 | +18.8% |
| 1961 | 2,830 | +63.7% |
| 1966 | 3,051 | +7.8% |
| 1971 | 3,337 | +9.4% |
| 1976 | 3,634 | +8.9% |
| 1981 | 3,825 | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 3,800 | −0.7% |
| 1991 | 3,660 | −3.7% |
| 1996 | 3,659 | −0.0% |
| 2001 | 3,666 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 3,625 | −1.1% |
| 2011 | 3,685 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 3,642 | −1.2% |
| Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] | ||
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, the Town of Pincher Creek had a population of 3,622 living in 1,521 of its 1,661 total private dwellings, a change of-0.5% from its 2016 population of 3,642. With a land area of 9.87 km2 (3.81 sq mi), it had a population density of367.0/km2 (950.4/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
In the2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Pincher Creek recorded a population of 3,642 living in 1,490 of its 1,589 total private dwellings, a-1.2% change from its 2011 population of 3,685. With a land area of 10.09 km2 (3.90 sq mi), it had a population density of361.0/km2 (934.9/sq mi) in 2016.[11]
The population of the Town of Pincher Creek according to its2013 municipal census is 3,619,[12] a 2.5% decrease from its 2008 municipal census population of 3,712.[13]
Places adjacent to Pincher Creek | |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
